Coming up with gift ideas for your retired parents can be hard. After a lifetime together, they likely have everything they need and most things they want. Yet, you still want to show them how much you love them and appreciate everything they have done for your. The following are a few ideas that they may appreciate much more than a trinket from the store:
Provide a service
Your retired parents may have more time, but they may not be physically up to the challenge of some routine chores anymore. You can provide them with a service, either by doing it yourself or paying for a contractor to complete it. Examples of services your parents might appreciate include snow removal, lawn care, house cleaning, or even meal preparation.
Create time
It can be easy to spend less time with your parents when you are busy with your job and family, but now that they are retired they may be stuck at home or lonely more often. A great gift idea is to give them a gift card to a local coffee shop or bakery. Provide enough on the card for a weekly treat, then set up an ongoing date to meet your parents for a treat and a conversation every week.
Sign up for a class
Retirement is a great time to find a new hobby or perfect an existing one. Sign your parents up for a class that they would enjoy. If they already have a hobby they want to become more skilled in, the class could be something they attend alone or together. On the other hand, if it is simply a class you think your parents may enjoy, then consider going with them or sign them up for something they can do with the grandkids. This way, at least they can enjoy family fun if the class turns out to be a dud.
Schedule a wine tour
A fun and romantic gift that is appropriate to give to your parents is a wine tour. If you live near wine country, simply prepay for a full tour. Most tours provide a ride, wine tours of one or more wineries, a tasting menu, and sometimes even food. If they live further away from wine country, then provide a full weekend retreat package that includes a stay at or near the winery as part of the tour. This is a gift that is sure to make them excited
Experience gifts like these are sometimes more expensive than a knick-knack from the gift aisle, but they are often more appreciated. You can always combine forces with other siblings or family members to help provide your parents an unforgettable gift.